When you are asked to be the one to take photos of the wedding is a huge responsibility.If you are doing it as a favor, or if you are doing it as your profession, following these 5 tips will help you do the job right.

This tips are coming from first hand experience as a San Diego wedding photographer.  So whether you are seasoned pro, or a rank amateur, if you follow these tips, you will feel comfortable and not have to second guess yourself.You will be ready for whatever may happen.

Our first tip is pretty simple and that is to have the couple and their families make a list for you of shots they want to take.  When the day is hectic and chaotic, this will help immensely when you are trying to get family and group shots later on in the day.You will love how you can just go through your list and get all the shots you want without leaving anything out.

The second tip on our list is to not delete any shots.  In this day and age of digital cameras, most photographers use them.  Great as they are, they also are tempting to delete a shot since it is so easy to do.Don't even think of looking at the shots.Remember, what you think is a great shot, could be vastly different than what the couple thinks is a great shot.You know what, they might like all those un "professional" shots you take.

A third tip to consider is making sure you get candid shots.A good wedding photographer doesn't look to just take your typical shots, like group shots, or wedding shots or your standard newly married shots.  But they will also try and capture the emotions of the day through the shots of all the people that were there.  And that includes some of the things that could go wrong, like a flower girl not making it all the way to the front, or the ring bearer dropping the rings.Every photo matters.

The fourth one to consider, and something that can easily be overlooked is to make sure you have several cameras with several lenses as backup.  Do you even want to imagine having a camera stop working halfway through the day.Plan for the worst that could go wrong.Being prepared with more equipment will ensure that you avoid that awkward moment of not being able to finish the rest of the day because of a broken camera.

Finally, practice your lighting as well. There can be a huge difference between the lighting inside the wedding and outside, so make sure to practice for all the different possible conditions. You should try and see if you can scout the locations for the big day and try and find the best spots to shoot as well as gauging the lighting needs.

Following these 5 great tips will help you greatly on that special day.  It will prepare you for whatever might go wrong, it will prepare you for capturing what goes right, and it will prepare you to help contribute to this wonderful day by being the best photographer you can be.  Take it from my years of experience as a San Diego photographer.

Need a photographer for a special event?  Being a San Diego Photographer, I have some great tips to help you make the best choice for that special day.  So before you go opening the yellow pages and just calling up any old photographer, here are a few steps on how to choose a good photographer.

For special days, most people want to capture those special memories with pictures, especially if it is a wedding, I know from first hand experience as a San Diego Wedding Photographer; so it is very important that you research the photographer you are going to trust for the job.  So why not ask friends and family for some recommendations.  Their recommendations will help you formulate a list of candidates for the job.

After talking with your friends and family, you should now have a good list of photographers to work with.  With that, take a look at their websites.  See if they have an online portfolio for you to view.  By looking at their past work, you will get a better idea of whether or not their style and the types of shots that they take are in line with what you have in mind.  By doing this, you can narrow your list down even more to the photographers whose work you like so far.

Now you are ready to conduct some interviews.  This doesn't have to be in person.  You can do it over the phone.  The goal of these phone interviews is to ask questions.  Questions that will help you determine if this is the right person for the job.  The more specific you are in asking your questions, the more specific your prospective photographer can be helping you better understand if this is the right person for the job.  By doing this you will narrow the field even more, and from that you can finally schedule to meet those in person who you like so far.

After you have completed the final steps of this process of narrowing down the field.  After you have gone through your interview process, it is time to pull the trigger and make a choice.  The factors you want to base your decision upon will be, does this person know what you want for that special day?  In other words, do they know your vision?  Also you want to make sure it is a person you like.  Getting along with a photographer for that special day is something not to be taken lightly.  You want it someone you match with personality wise, because the last thing you need is to have a stressful day.  If they meet your criteria, go ahead and choose one.

Doing these few but profound steps will help you in many ways.  The process will give you the opportunity to know your photographer more intimately then any other process.  Having this knowledge of him or her will allow you to connect with them, which is very important.  It will also let you see what their style and vision will be for the photo shoot.  And probably the most important part is the fact you will be at ease in your mind, because you have taken great care to find the right photographer.